“The Attorney General has urged barristers not to boycott the controversial Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA), and warned that if they refuse instructions they have already accepted in protest at the new legal aid rates, the government may ‘look elsewhere’.”

“Thousands of girls in danger of genital mutilation are being failed by the health and justice systems, a coalition of health professionals has warned in a report that recommends aggressive steps to eradicate the practice in the UK.”

“A material change of use of Green Belt land was capable of falling within the scope of paragraph 81 of the National Planning Policy Framework (‘NPPF’), but would not by definition be appropriate development as a result. Rather, such a change of use would be a material consideration in determining whether there existed very special reasons for permitting otherwise inappropriate development falling outwith the terms of paragraphs 89 and 90 of the NPPF.”

“Where the English court had jurisdiction pursuant to article 31.1 of the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (as scheduled to the Carriage of Goods by Road Act 1965) in respect of a claim by the cargo owner against the primary carrier under the contract of carriage, article 36 of the Convention permitted the cargo owner to bring proceedings in England not only against the primary carrier, but also against successive carriers, whether or not the English court would have had jurisdiction over the successive carriers individually applying the provisions of article 31.1.”

“The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, established under section 5 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, did not have power to impose a condition which took effect on a licence prior to completion of the full statutory process up to and including the appeal process provided for in section 20 of the 1990 Act.”

“Trafficking khat, which was an offence under German law, was capable of amounting to a framework list offence of ‘illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances’ pursuant to section 64(2) of the Extradition Act 2003 and article 2(2) of Council Framework Decision 2002/583/JHA of 13 June 2002 on the European arrest warrant and the surrender procedures between member states (‘the Framework Decision’), even though khat was not a narcotic drug or psychotropic substance prohibited by the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances 1988 (‘the 1988 Convention’).”

“The procedural requirements to be followed when making a request to another member state pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 343/2003 to accept responsibility for processing an asylum claim of a third country national were those set out in the relevant European Union regulations themselves. There was no obligation to undertake additional procedural steps either as a matter of domestic public law, or on the basis that further procedural obligations ought to be implied into the provisions of the relevant EU regulations.”

“The Supreme Court has given judgment in the first case to come before it under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The sole judgment was given by Lady Hale (Deputy President of the Court), with whom Lord Neuberger, Lord Clarke, Lord Carnwath and Lord Hughes.”

“The council that repeatedly promised to protect its children following the deaths of Baby Peter and Victoria Climbié has launched yet another serious case review (SCR) into a child abuse case, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. The new investigation has started only a month after the publication of Haringey’s last SCR into Child T, a three-year-old who was beaten so badly with a belt, stick and cable that he was hospitalised yet was still returned to the family home, where the abuse continued. The latest investigation is the council’s sixth known SCR – investigations into serious incidents of child abuse – since the report into Baby Peter’s death was published in 2009.”